Algee Smith (born November 7, 1994) is an American actor and singer. After appearing in several small television roles in 2017, Smith first rose to fame portraying Ralph Tresvant in BET's The New Edition Story miniseries. The same year, he garnered critical acclaim as Larry Reed in Kathryn Bigelow's film Detroit. In 2018, he is set to star in the film, The Hate U Give.
Smith was born in Saginaw, Michigan. At the age of 8, he and his family moved from Michigan to Atlanta where he started his acting career. Having a musician for a father and a fashion designer for a mother, Smith was well immersed in the arts and also completed his first rap recording at the age of 9. During this time, he attained several minor television roles; those of which he credits for "perfecting his craft." Smith moved to Los Angeles at the age of 20.
After appearances in projects such as Disney Channel's Let It Shine and Earth to Echo, Smith landed his first major acting role playing real-life singer Ralph Tresvant in The New Edition Story. Smith also starred in Kathryn Bigelow's film Detroit, about the Algiers Motel incident. His performance was praised by critics. He was also cast to appear alongside Amandla Stenberg in The Hate U Give, a film adaptation of the young adult novel of the same name. On June 22, 2017, Smith released his first EP entitled Listen, featuring a blend of R&B and Hip hop tracks. He also performed a song for the Detroit film soundtrack, called "Grow."
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